We're talking about the great and mysterious conductor Leopold Stokowski right?
Ok, this's my impression of him. He's not just a musician...well, of caz, the fact that he's an accomplished organist gives him much insight into Bach. But he's a musical 'magician' with trendy, unusual(but fruitful) innovations- evolution of the "Stokowski Sound". I remembered having heard from my teacher that he allowed free bowing in the orchestra. He did not restrain the string players to the bowing indications, but leave it to their own discreetion instead. So it got disturbingly untidy visually, but the sound produced became somewhat velvety, dimensional and vivid, and he even implemented new seating arrangement for tranparency and clarity of sound- 'tonguing'. And his non-baton conducting became a trend for many great conductors to follow. It's fascinating how he commands with his hands and facial expression.
But much like the fate of Gould, not everyone is ready to accept such an innovator. And I figured, if u don't agree with Gould, then it's impossible with u to agree with Stokowski. He's an agressive musical 'innovator', so he enjoyed rearranging works of great composers. For him, it doesn't matter if music is written in a certain way... he'll intentionally play it in other manners to 'improve' textures and sound-Mussorgski’s Pictures at an Exhibition and A Night on the Bare Mountain or Debussy’s La cathédrale engloutie were wonderful re-creations.
But my fav has got to be the one he arranged for Waltz Disney 'Fantasia'.
To me, Stokowski's a 'music' radical( pretty much like Wagner and gang at that time- how Wagner and Weber were so smitten by the dense dim 7th sound ). He brings new life to music with daring transcriptions, esp. the Bach sets, provoking a much heated controversy over his symphonic transcriptions fo Bach's organ works. I quite like his 'Bach' collection actually...
some interesting sound experiments-rich and energetic. But one must be truly adventurous to love Glenn and Stokowski. They are really not for everyone, and the more not for sacrileged baroque purists.
I can definately see why Glenn would only play with Stokowski and the rest of em. They would probably die of rigid 'ristrictions' and boredom should they colloborate with mainstream conductors. U can't keep a whale in a fish tank. Well, Glenn+Stokowski... 2 whales in the ocean. LOL...
Quoted :...The opposite - especially for Gould - Toscanini. He compares that to the Europians Mengelberg and Weingartner. Weingartner as enthusiast and Mengelberg the correct human. Stokowski was nearer to his character...and Stokowski who didnt like to play with soloist recorded with him the Beethoven 5 th!...
Interesting!
Quoted...The english version must be "The Glenn Gould Reader" edited by Tim Page...
MUST grab this book! :lol: Hey Daniel? Are U german or English? U've very good English. B)
Ok, this's my impression of him. He's not just a musician...well, of caz, the fact that he's an accomplished organist gives him much insight into Bach. But he's a musical 'magician' with trendy, unusual(but fruitful) innovations- evolution of the "Stokowski Sound". I remembered having heard from my teacher that he allowed free bowing in the orchestra. He did not restrain the string players to the bowing indications, but leave it to their own discreetion instead. So it got disturbingly untidy visually, but the sound produced became somewhat velvety, dimensional and vivid, and he even implemented new seating arrangement for tranparency and clarity of sound- 'tonguing'. And his non-baton conducting became a trend for many great conductors to follow. It's fascinating how he commands with his hands and facial expression.
But much like the fate of Gould, not everyone is ready to accept such an innovator. And I figured, if u don't agree with Gould, then it's impossible with u to agree with Stokowski. He's an agressive musical 'innovator', so he enjoyed rearranging works of great composers. For him, it doesn't matter if music is written in a certain way... he'll intentionally play it in other manners to 'improve' textures and sound-Mussorgski’s Pictures at an Exhibition and A Night on the Bare Mountain or Debussy’s La cathédrale engloutie were wonderful re-creations.
But my fav has got to be the one he arranged for Waltz Disney 'Fantasia'.
To me, Stokowski's a 'music' radical( pretty much like Wagner and gang at that time- how Wagner and Weber were so smitten by the dense dim 7th sound ). He brings new life to music with daring transcriptions, esp. the Bach sets, provoking a much heated controversy over his symphonic transcriptions fo Bach's organ works. I quite like his 'Bach' collection actually...
some interesting sound experiments-rich and energetic. But one must be truly adventurous to love Glenn and Stokowski. They are really not for everyone, and the more not for sacrileged baroque purists.
I can definately see why Glenn would only play with Stokowski and the rest of em. They would probably die of rigid 'ristrictions' and boredom should they colloborate with mainstream conductors. U can't keep a whale in a fish tank. Well, Glenn+Stokowski... 2 whales in the ocean. LOL...
Quoted :...The opposite - especially for Gould - Toscanini. He compares that to the Europians Mengelberg and Weingartner. Weingartner as enthusiast and Mengelberg the correct human. Stokowski was nearer to his character...and Stokowski who didnt like to play with soloist recorded with him the Beethoven 5 th!...
Interesting!
Quoted...The english version must be "The Glenn Gould Reader" edited by Tim Page...
MUST grab this book! :lol: Hey Daniel? Are U german or English? U've very good English. B)
